Today In Hip Hop History: DJ Quik’s Debut Album ‘Quik Is The Name’ Released 25 Years Ago

25 years ago, Compton OG DJ Quik dropped his first album Quik Is The Name on this date.

Released on Profile Records during a time when their roster consisted of righteous rhymers like King Sun and Poor Righteous Teachers, Quik was pioneering in helping to usher in the “gangsta rap” sound on a mainstream scale in the early 90s and labels were just beginning to shift their marketing dollars towards this sub-genre of Hip Hop.

With the help of producers Courtney Branch, Greg Jessie and Tracy Kendrick, Quik managed to produce a rap classic that sold 50,000 in its first week with only a $30,000 budget for production. Recorded in Westlake Recording Studio in Los Angeles, the same spot where Michael Jackson‘s epic Thriller masterpiece was created, Quik and crew finished up the album in 17 days.

The album’s lead single, “Born And Raised In Compton”, climbed to Number 6 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs, while tracks like “Tonite” ,”Deep” and the album’s title track solidified the funk sound that later saturated West Coast Hip Hop music.

Salute to the Big Homie for laying down this pioneering project that will forever be considered one of the Top 100 Albums In Hip Hop!